The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-12
CANCER CAN BE CURED.
Operations serve In Every Case To Pro-
long Life-InterestinG Statistics

long Life-InteressinG Statistics
The question whether or not cancer is
durable by operation is one of vital I'M
portance to those who may have the dis
ease 1t Is popularity supposed To be in
curaEle, but statistics prove that il il not
so. In estimating the value Of operations
for cancer we must consider the duration
If the disease when left To itself. Paset,
in 100 cdss-s. gives tli3 duration If Life in
- not operated upon as ~ months. while
in the remaining "a, where ONE or more
operations had been performed. the life
average was 81 months. Sibley, in -
cases. makes the average - months in
cases not operated upon, and % months
in cases where excelsior was IT;!Ctict-l.
The longest duration of life III c;.sea not
operated upon Is II ycars. III those opcr-
ated upon Il years. V lIiie these .tati,-
tics go To prove that operation prOlougs
life. they do not prove an ultimate cure.
DIR. OlclekGp shows III his report that cut
of gag CASES where operations had Eccn
performed % recovered. DIR. Willard
Parker believed in operations for the dis
ease. In a paper read before the Medical
Journal association Ill September. 1873,
he reports IA cases of cure by eXcisiOn
the patients being in good health ut the
ends of periods varying from :: To 2. years
A mass of statistics might lie brought
TO show that i'll many instances cancer
has been radically cured, and in other
cases life has been indefinitely prolonged
by the Use of the knife. 4 few special
cases will serve to show this. DIR. Weir
reports a case in which the right breast
was amputated by DIR. James X. Wood
in 1856. In 1867 DIR. Post amputatcd
the left breast In 1873 DIR. Weir re-
Il 4,
side. and again in 1877 and 1880. the IA
tient finally diving of the disease % years
after its first appearance. DIR. Frank Ill.
Hamilton operated upon a patient who
survived the excelsior 90 years, and an
other patient of his. whose breast was en-
tirely removed, survived the operation for
10 years. Cases of this description might
lie multiplied. DR.. Shrady, Gen. Grant >
physician, claims that the disease is ur-
ganic, and in no way hereditary. lie is--
lieves that its origin IL iocal and is there
fore removable. and that TIE cOnSt tuition
becomes affected only secondarily 10y a
more or less widespread dissemination of
original cancer germs. The failur. of
one excelsior to affect cure i'll mo- wire
dlconcerts him. The disease IL insi,ii0u~.
and "A careful microscopic examination j.
necessary Ia follow Its various r;.Iniii,.i-
tions- Where the growth il not in I.rux-
unity IT, the vital organs, operation after
operation may he tried with inpunity.
In the case of Gen. Grant the entir.-
throat was affected and an operation
meant certain death. otherwise an opera
ton would have been tried. Ii j. an ..x-
ception for more than one member of Il
family Ia become the victim of cancer.
In fact it may IN confidently said that no
human being can liz sure of escaping the
disease until he has passed the age eff its
occurrence. which Is when his vital ma
cninery is entirely worn out. In other
words Inc can ever be considered fortunate
III respect To cancer until he Is dead
New York Mail and Express